Traveling around the traditional market of Manokwari

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

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In my today's travelogue journal, I am going to tell you my story about the traditional market of Manokwari. It is just an ordinary market, similar to other traditional market which you've ever visited before.

I visit this market at least once a month to have my hair cut. This is actually not a tourist attraction but it is an interesting place to visit due to its vital function for the economy of the whole town. Experienced travelers will definitely visit the market.

I just visited the market a few hours ago. At the entrance of the market, I saw some barbershops. Most of the barbers came from Madura island of East Java. They charged Rp. 25,000 per person no matter how long or how short my hair was. This kind of business was very profitable for migrant workers who had come to Papua to realize their Papuan dream, a similar term for American dream.

After having my hair cut, I continued my tour to the inner part of the market. The second row of the building was kiosks of clothing. Here, I could see migrant, mostly Buginese and Makassarese sell T-shirts, jeans and many kinds of men's and women's clothing. Although I liked the style of jeans and T-shirts that they were selling, I didn't buy any. I didn't bring enough money at the time.

Then, I walked down the stairs to the vegetable vendors. It was located right in the middle of the market. Here, most of the vendors were local Papuan, and the Javanese transmigrants. Many kinds of vegetables and tropical fruits are sold here in prices that were very cheap. This was the place where I took some pictures. Bananas, mangoes, avocado, sugarcane, jackfruit and various kinds of tropical fruits were sold. Foreign travelers should bargain before buying anything at the traditional market.

The terminal of the public transportation was located next to the vegetables and fruit stalls. Actually, there were many other stalls which I had not visited. There were kitchen equipment kiosks and food court and fish market. The weather was hot and the market was very crowded. I decided to return home. Also read: Traveling under the canopy of Papuan tropical rainforest; Traveling to Mansinam island of West Papua; An Affordable Inn for Eco Travelers in Papua Island